Activities

1. Identify at least five key events that shape a character in a biography.
   
   
2. Summarize a character’s feelings at a critical moment in a nonfiction text.
   
   
3. In a work of nonfiction, compare the relationships between one character to that of two others characters.
   
   
4. Identify the causes and analyze the effects of a character’s actions in a nonfiction text.
   
   
5. Cite evidence from a nonfiction text to formulate an argument for the function a character plays in that text.
   
   
6. Formulate an argument for what causes two characters facing similar conflicts to make different decisions.

Answer Key/Rubric

1. Students identify and then summarize at least five key events that contribute to the shaping of a character in terms of influencing the character’s actions, feelings or motivations. They may be things that happen to the character, things the character does, interactions with other characters or any other event that has an impact on a person in a nonfiction text. The events should cover the beginning, middle and end of the text.
   
   
2. Students are able to point to key moments in a nonfiction text and summarize a character’s stated or implied feelings at a critical moment in the narrative. Students may be required to summarize directly stated emotions and/or meditations or draw inferences based on emotion implied through dialogue, action or inaction. Students may also analyze how the critical moment affects the character’s feelings.
   
   
3. Students compare and begin to analyze the similarities and differences between the relationships of one character to two other characters. Students also begin to analyze what causes the differences in these relationships to arise and what effects these relationships have on the characters involved.
   
   
4. Students first identify what causes a character to take specific action in a text. These could be relationships with other characters, aspects of plot, key events or other emotions/motivations. Students then analyze the effects of a character’s actions on the character him or herself, on others, or on other events in the text. Students demonstrate understanding of both how the world shapes people and how people may in turn shape the world.
   
   
5. Students are able to point to evidence from the text in order to develop an argument for the function a character serves in the structure of a text. The character may be the protagonist a biography or memoir is centered on, an antagonist that develops conflict, a secondary character that highlights similarities or contrasts, someone who works to develop a theme, serve as the reader, or any other function within a narrative.
   
   
6. Students analyze the differences between human nature in characters from different texts. These characters may face similar conflicts or circumstances, but make different decisions. Students should be able to develop a written argument for what causes these characters different motivations and actions.

Suggested Rubric:  This rubric may be used to assess a student’s overall mastery of the standard or eligible content.